BIG INK helps NCAA with large Sign

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Press release from the issuing company

San Antonio, TX (March 2006) – Come April 1, it will hang from the side of a building, a sign some 120 feet long by 60 feet wide, situated within sight of the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, home of this year’s Final Four NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. And chances are good that sometime before the first game tips off, the eyes of the world will be on it.
It is one of the largest NCAA Tournament Bracket ever created, a full-color, 7,200 square-foot sign made for sponsor Coca-Cola by BIG INK Display Graphics. The only one that was bigger was 109 by 120 feet, which BIG INK produced just before this year’s tournament for a media event at the RCA Dome.
BIG INK owner Tom Trutna said it is the most high-profile project to date for his 18-employee shop based in Eagan, Minnesota. And he says it is something he probably would not have tried if his company did not own a Jeti Printer.
“When the rubber hits the road, this Jeti Printer produces,” Trutna said. “Having the ability to print 100-foot sections without it hiccupping the whole way is really a remarkable feat. With the previous printers we had, there was no way we’d attempt something like this.”
Trutna purchased one of the first Jeti Printers in the Grand Format industry back in 2003, a 3.3-meter version. Since then, company manufacturer Gandinnovations has unveiled four other versions, including roll-to-roll and flatbed UV printers.
Buzz in the Grand Format industry about Jeti Printers has been building ever since the first 3.3-meter version debuted in November 2002, with the growing line consistently earning the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the industry.
Trutna counts himself among those satisfied customers. “The Gandinnovations people have been great to work with. The few times we have an issue that needs to be addressed, they’ve been really responsive with service. The sales representative has even been out here on site to lend a hand from time to time.”
Jeti Printers are made to be the best in the industry. For example, the Jeti 3150UV can print direct to substrate up to 2 inches thick, delivering wonderfully detailed photographic images. The four-ton machine prints direct to plastics, display panels, poster board, tile, drywall, blinds, glass, fabric, vinyl and more.
Many Jeti Printers produce at speeds far outmatching any other printer on the market, making it possible for high quantity production with multiple image changes, giving printers the ability to turn around normally higher-cost projects at traditional screen printing and conventional printing press prices.
BIG INK used its Jeti Printer to create the World’s Largest Tournament Bracket, a 45 x 75-foot banner, for last year’s Final Four. Trutna said he felt confident the Jeti Printer could handle this year’s two, larger orders from Coca-Cola.
BIG INK Prints 6,000 square-feet overnight!
“It’s great because the bracket is updated in real time by a guy in a bucket truck who goes up the side of the building and posts the name of the winning team in the bracket,” Trutna said. “This year, we’ve added a twist by using 64 8 x 8-foot images of true fans of their teams, people in jerseys and face paint to show the winners that moved on in the tournament. Those images were also produced on the Jeti Printers.”
The 109 x 120-foot banner used for the media event inside the RCA Dome was printed on 13-ounce scrim banner material, while the slightly smaller 60 x 120 version was printed on an 8-ounce mesh. Both signs weigh well over 600 pounds.
“It’s a bit intimidating to have to deal with that much material. As we sat down and tried to map out all things that needed to take place and that could go wrong, the printer breaking down comes into consideration,” Trutna said. “But the actual printing has turned out to be the least stressful part about the whole thing. We were able to print an amazing amount of material in a short amount of time. We literally printed 6,000 square feet overnight.”
For more information about Gandinnovations and its products, visit the company’s website at www.gandinnovations.com, or call 210.344.9566.